Protest at Stanford University graduation as Google CEO Sundar Pichai takes the stage
A group of graduates walked out of Stanford Universityâs commencement ceremony Sunday moments after Google CEO Sundar Pichai began delivering his keynote address.
Videos circulating on social media showed more than 100 students leaving their seats at Stanford Stadium while chanting, âFree, free Palestine.â
The protest was organized by far left radical groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and No Tech for Apartheid.
Students for Justice in Palestine calls for âdeath to all collaboratesâ, which grotesquely mimics Hamasâ justification for executing Palestinian collaborators.
They have previously posted images mourning the death of influencers in Gaza who have openly celebrated the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Pichai, a Stanford alumnus who earned a masterâs degree in materials science and engineering from the university in 1995, had been selected earlier this year as the keynote speaker for Stanfordâs 135th commencement ceremony held on June 14.
The protest is the latest chapter in a yearslong controversy surrounding Googleâs involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract jointly held with Amazon to provide cloud and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli government.
Critics, including some employees and pro-Palestinian activists, argue the technology could be used by Israelâs military and security agencies in ways that harm Palestinians.
Google has maintained that the contract is for government cloud services and has repeatedly defended its work.
The dispute has already roiled the company internally.
In 2024, Google fired dozens of employees after sit-ins and demonstrations at offices in California and New York protesting Project Nimbus and the companyâs ties to Israel.
Sundayâs walkout also comes amid a broader wave of campus unrest and skepticism toward Big Tech at graduation ceremonies this year.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was booed during a commencement address at the University of Arizona earlier this year as students voiced concerns about artificial intelligence and its effect on jobs.
Similar scenes have played out at universities across the country, with graduates increasingly using commencement ceremonies to protest speakersâ corporate ties, AI advocacy and political positions.
Despite the interruptions, Pichai continued his speech, which focused largely on optimism and adapting to change rather than artificial intelligence or geopolitics.
The Google chief acknowledged the uncertainty facing graduates but urged them to choose optimism as they enter a rapidly changing world.




